Fifth Thursday of Lent

"I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come for you" (Genesis 17.6)

 

 

- I will write or learn this verse.

-I will repeat this verse several times a day and I will listen to what the Lord tells me therein.

-I can put this verse into practice, if I feel it is right to do so.

-I will fill out the blank thought bubble.

-I can share my experiences (or how I tried to put this word of God into place and what benefits I then received).

Help to understand this verse:

God promises Abraham that he will be the father of many people. Saint Paul, 19 centuries later, says that it is by faith in Christ that men are called to become sons of Abraham and heirs of the promise. Get to work !

 

Fourth Friday of Lent

 

- I will write or learn this verse.

-I will repeat this verse several times a day and I will listen to what the Lord tells me therein.

-I can put this verse into practice, if I feel it is right to do so.

-I will fill out the blank thought bubble.

-I can share my experiences (or how I tried to put this word of God into place and what benefits I then received).

Help to understand this verse:

The book of wisdom was written by cultivated Jews who tried to answer in faith the essential questions.

The sage travelled, he discovered several cultures. Meditation is delivered in the form of sentences, poems, moral or symbolic narratives.

In the passion of Christ, we find words similar to this one, spoken by the enemies of Jesus at the foot of the cross.

First Thursday of Lent

- I will write or learn this verse.

-I will repeat this verse several times a day and I will listen to what the Lord tells me therein.

-I can put this verse into practice, if I feel it is right to do so.

-I will fill out the blank thought bubble.

-I can share my experiences (or how I tried to put this word of God into place and what benefits I then received).

Help to understand this verse:
The book of Esther is a romanticized book with a historical form. Esther saves Israel from a catastrophe by being the instrument of God, whereas he is considered to be among the weakest beings. Esther is a very beautiful young Jewish woman. She becomes queen (without anyone knowing she is Jewish). King Ahasuerus, urged by his second, Aman, issued a decree ordering the persecution of the Jews. Esther wants to obtain the clemency of king for his people. Except that she is only allowed to appear before the king upon his order, otherwise she will die. She decides to go without being invited. She prays and fasts for three days before taking this step. This verse is taken from her prayer. (The continuation of the story is in the Bible ...)

First Friday of Lent

- I will write or learn this verse.

-I will repeat this verse several times a day and I will listen to what the Lord tells me therein.

-I can put this verse into practice, if I feel it is right to do so.

-I will fill out the blank thought bubble.

-I can share my experiences (or how I tried to put this word of God into place and what benefits I then received).

A little help to understand this verse: Ezekiel was a priest who was deported to Babylon in 598 BC. In 587 he was a prophet of hope. He denounces the conduct of princes and priests and announces the coming of a good shepherd. The verse of the day is taken from an Ezekiel speech on personal responsibility. Basically, it is not the sons who have to pay for the crimes of their fathers. Everyone is responsible for their own conduct. Not only does man not bear the fault of his ancestors, but he can still be freed from the weight of his own past (by converting). The judgement of God will depend upon the disposition of the sinner's soul.

Year A - 6th Sunday of Ordinary Time

6^th Sunday of Ordinary Time – Year A

1^st Reading : Sirac the wise 15.15-20

Psalm 118

2^nd Reading : 1 Corinthians 2.6-10 

Gospel: Matthew 5.17-37

 

 

 

To go further

 

Details

 

-This indecisive rabbit is perched on a tree stump with a few leaves, as if it were stopped from developing any further.

-He alone will make the decision

-In his body language, everything is contradictory:

-His body is turned towards the left and his head to the right

-He has one arm in front and the other behind.

-One ear turned up, the other down (he hears two different pieces of advice).

 

Questions

 

-The ability to say "Yes" or "No" is the most beautiful gift that God has given to each of us. It means that we each have the capacity to think for ourselves, and to become ourselves.

-Do I use this gift to effect power over others?

-Am I eternally indecisive?

-Do I wait for the response to come from outside?

-To say yes or non allows others to position themselves regarding me because they know what I think. Without these words from me, can the relationship really exist?

Year A - Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time

1^st Reading Isaiah 58.7-10

Psalm 111

 2^nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 2.1-5 

Gospel: Matthew 5.13-16

To go further

Details

-This rabbit goes from a neutral landscape (there is nothing behind him) to the outskirts of a menacing and ever-darkening forest. There are 13 pairs of eyes fixed on him.

 -The attitude of the rabbit is hesitant. His ears all crumpled, his body folded backwards, as if everything in him was resisting. His eyes look elsewhere.

 -The sky becomes grey, the road becomes darker.

-Only one thing seems firm and solid, the sign “MISSION”, upright and colourful, planted in the middle of the road (usually they are placed at the edge).

 Questions

-When we read the letters of Saint Paul, we are mostly taken by their vivacity, their solidity, their directness and incisiveness. And there, he tells us that he is timid and trembling. It is at this moment that God can take place. That which we consider as a weakness is, in reality, a great force in the eyes of God, He who has passed this road. The force of the rabbit comes from the fact that he is sent (The “mission” sign). If he is sent, it is by someone. If that someone is God, obviously he is in the right place. Why would He send him to the middle of nowhere for no benefit?

 -Do I realise that my weakness is an occasion to let God pass in front of me, across me?

 -If I do, how do I live such a situation in my daily life?

Year A - 4th Sunday of Ordinary Time

1^st Reading: Zephaniah 2.3 ; 3.12-13

                   Psalm 145                

2^nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 1.26-31 

Gospel: Matthieu 5.1-12

To go further

Details

-The poor of heart, or spirit, is he who is aside, he who we leave alone. The poor man is he whom we do not listen to. He who has nothing for us to learn. Here, he is shown in a cave at the centre of the earth, with a microscopic gallery leading to the surface.

-He seems sad, timid, even stuck, and fearful in his regard. He has no possessions in his cave. God will come to him.

-Above the surface of the earth there are three scenes:

1. On the left, he who is rich, with his limousine, cash and safe.

2. In the middle, he who is strong, according to the world. He seduces and brings all success concerning romance.

3. To the right, he who is most powerful. He is on his throne and with his sceptre. He shouts orders, people bow before him and he is presented live-streaming on the TV.

These three people are rich, according to the criteria of our world. We would like to be like them. At new year, these are the kind of things that we wish for: Fortune, love and glory… and we think it is the real happiness.

-Jesus turned things on their head and said that the Kingdom belonged to those who were meek of heart. The gallery holds truffles, rare and highly sought mushrooms, veritable treasures which sprout around oak trees. It is the nose of a dog or pig which helps find these, thanks to the odours that these truffles leak out from the gallery and up to the surface of the earth.

-The meek heart is a sweet-smelling sacrifice for God. It is with God that the meek heart lives. He who manages to detect the odour of God in the meek of heart must have a refined and well-worked sense of smell. He must also be close to the ground, so therefore humble (which comes from the Latin for “earth”, “humus”)

Questions

-And I, what do I take from all that?